I am having bathfitter put in a tub surround, tub and wallboard over the existing old tile. The old tile goes all the way to the ceiling in the shower/bath area. Since I have high ceilings and a long, narrow bathroom, I wanted to leave wall space above the shower surround and paint it the same as the rest of the walls.

I would like to avoid the messy job of removing the old tile and replacing it with wall board etc.

Is there some way to "skimcoate" the existing cermic tile, thereby creating a smooth surface that can be painted so it will blend with the rest of the wall space.

Any advice will be welcome.